Our first Red Phone caller, concerned with the aesthetics of
historic downtown Hollister, asked when construction would be
complete at 501 San Benito St.
Our first Red Phone caller, concerned with the aesthetics of historic downtown Hollister, asked when construction would be complete at 501 San Benito St.
The Crimson Crusader made a quick call to the building’s owner, local businessman Ignacio Velazquez, to get the answer. Velazquez said the upper stories of the building have been vacant for more than four decades and that renovating the building took time. However, he said construction is expected to be completed by the end of December.
Voting Frustrations
Our next Red Phone caller, a San Benito County resident frustrated that she won’t be able to express her opinions about Measure R and Measure S at the polls next Tuesday, asked the Crimson Crusader why only city residents could vote on the two measures, even though, as our caller contends, they affect the entire county.
Our caller’s keen question will be answered, hopefully to her satisfaction, in two parts. First, we’ll look at Measure R, the city’s proposed 1 percent sakes tax increase that will bump sales tax from 7.25 percent to 8.25 percent if approved by voters. Since Measure R is a city sales tax increase, only city residents can vote on it. County residents don’t live in the city, and therefore cannot vote on it, just as they wouldn’t be able to vote on a sales tax increase is Wichita Falls, Kan., or Baton Rouge, La.
Measure S is a bit more tricky, so the Crimson Crusader made a call to Hollister City Manager Clint Quilter to get the answer. Although the proposed Pulte/Del Webb project would likely affect both city and county residents, Measure S only deals with the city’s general plan and growth cap. Measure S would amend the city’s general plan to allow the project to proceed and create an exemption from the Measure U development cap.
Seeing the light
Our next Red Phone caller, concerned with the visibility of a Hollister traffic light, asked the Crimson Crusader to see what could be done about brush blocking the view of the traffic light at the intersection of Nash and San Benito Streets.
The Crimson Crusader made a quick call over to Ray Rojas at the Hollister Public Works Department to find out what could be done. Rojas said he was aware of the problem and that a call had already been placed to Caltrans, which has jurisdiction over the traffic light. Rojas said he had talked to his counterparts at Caltrans and expected to have the problem fixed next week.
Waste Disposal
Our final caller, a helpful woman from the Hollister Public Works Department, called the Crimson Crusader to correct a mistake made in last week’s column.
The Crimson Crusader, relying on the city’s Web site, had reported about the process and procedures of the city’s hazardous waste disposal program. Unfortunately, that information was wrong, our caller said. The Hollister Public Works Department no longer runs a hazardous waste disposal program. The program is run by the San Benito County Integrated Waste Management Department. However, residents can still drop off their hazardous waste; they just can’t do it at the Hollister Public Works yard on Southside Road.
Our caller said that on the third Saturday of every month residents can drop off their hazardous waste at the John Smith Landfill on John Smith Road between 9am and noon. Our caller also said the city’s Web site has been updated to reflect these changes. The Crimson Crusader would like to thank the Hollister Public Works Department for their vigilance.
